Haakon Shetelig
Encyclopedia
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
archaeologist, historian and museum director. He was a pioneer in archaeology known for his study of art from the Viking Age
Viking Age
Viking Age is the term for the period in European history, especially Northern European and Scandinavian history, spanning the late 8th to 11th centuries. Scandinavian Vikings explored Europe by its oceans and rivers through trade and warfare. The Vikings also reached Iceland, Greenland,...
in Norway. He is most frequently associated with his work on the Oseberg ship
Oseberg ship
The Oseberg ship is a well-preserved Viking ship discovered in a large burial mound at the Oseberg farm near Tønsberg in Vestfold county, Norway.-Burial mound:...
near Tønsberg
Tønsberg
is a city and municipality in Vestfold county, southern Norway, located around north-east of Sandefjord. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tønsberg....
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
during 1904-05 .
Biography
Haakon Shetelig grew up in ChristianiaChristiania
-Places:* Christiania or Kristiania, names of Oslo * Freetown Christiania , a self-proclaimed autonomous neighborhood of Copenhagen, Denmark* Christiania Township, Minnesota, a township in Jackson County...
, and studied classical languages and the Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
philology
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
and history at the University of Christiania. In 1901, Shetelig was hired as curator and manager of the historical-antiquarian part of the Bergen Museum
Bergen Museum
The Bergen Museum is a university museum in Bergen, Norway. Founded in 1825 with the intent of building large collections in the fields of culture and natural history, it became the grounds for most of the academic activity in the city, a tradition which has prevailed since the museum became part...
, the University of Bergen
University of Bergen
The University of Bergen is located in Bergen, Norway. Although founded as late as 1946, academic activity had taken place at Bergen Museum as far back as 1825. The university today serves more than 14,500 students...
museum in Bergen, Norway. He was appointed professor in 1914 and worked as director of the History and Antiquarian Department until 1942.
Shetelig and his colleague, Swedish archaeologist Gabriel Gustafson
Gabriel Gustafson
Gabriel Adolf Gustafson was a Swedish-Norwegian archaeologist. He was responsible for the excavation and conservation of the Oseberg ship. -Biography:...
, led the team that dug out and preserved the Oseberg ship
Oseberg ship
The Oseberg ship is a well-preserved Viking ship discovered in a large burial mound at the Oseberg farm near Tønsberg in Vestfold county, Norway.-Burial mound:...
in 1904-1905. After Gustafson's death in 1915, he collaborated with archaeologist Anton Wilhelm Brøgger
Anton Wilhelm Brøgger (archaeologist)
Anton Wilhelm Brøgger was a Norwegian archaeologist.-Personal life:He was born in Stockholm as a son of professor of geology Waldemar Christofer Brøgger and Antonie Scheel Siewers . He was a grandson of the book printer Anton Wilhelm Brøgger.In September 1909 he married Inger Ursin...
and and Hjalmar Falk to publish the discovery. In 1920 he led the excavation of the Kvalsund ships (Kvalsundskipet) which were found at the Kvalsund farm at Herøy, Møre og Romsdal
Herøy, Møre og Romsdal
Herøy is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Sunnmøre region. The administrative centre is the town of Fosnavåg on the island of Bergsøya. The industrial area of Eggesbønes is located south of Fosnavåg on the same island...
County during 1920.
In 1910 he founded the magazine Kunst og Kultur
Kunst og Kultur
Kunst og Kultur is a Norwegian cultural magazine, founded in 1910 by Harry Fett and Haakon Shetelig. Editor from 2003 is Ellen Lerberg....
, with Harry Fett
Harry Fett
Harry Fett was a Norwegian art historian and factory owner. He headed the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage from 1913 to 1946.-Personal life:...
which he edited (1910–1927). He published a number of papers and writings about the archeology, history and cultural history. He also wrote the first volume of the six volume series Viking Antiquities in Great Britain and Ireland, on which he also served as the main editor. He introduced the Shetelig axiom which refers to the idea that the Viking Age
Viking Age
Viking Age is the term for the period in European history, especially Northern European and Scandinavian history, spanning the late 8th to 11th centuries. Scandinavian Vikings explored Europe by its oceans and rivers through trade and warfare. The Vikings also reached Iceland, Greenland,...
began when Scandinavian Vikings attacked Lindisfarne
Lindisfarne
Lindisfarne is a tidal island off the north-east coast of England. It is also known as Holy Island and constitutes a civil parish in Northumberland...
in 793.
Haakon Shetelig was a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway.-History:The University of Oslo was established in 1811. The idea of a learned society in Christiania surfaced for the first time in 1841. The city of Throndhjem had no university, but had a learned...
and the Royal Norwegian Scientific Society. He was appointed Commander of the Order of St. Olav in 1946 and held several foreign orders and medals.
Selected works
- Spandformede lerkar fra folkevandringstiden (1904)
- Smaa bronsespænder fra folkevandringstiden (1910)
- Vestlandske graver fra jernalderen (1912)
- Bergen 1814-1914, with Carl Geelmuyden (1914)
- Oseberg-funnet 1, with Anton Wilhelm Brøgger and Hjalmar Falk (1917)
- Primitive tider i Norge. En oversigt over stenalderen (1922)
- Prehistoire De La Norvzge (1926)
- Oseberg-funnet 2 , with Anton Wilhelm Brøgger and Hjalmar Falk (1928)
- Vikingeminner I Vest-Europa (1933)
- Scandinavian Archaeology, with Hjalmar Falk (1937)
- Viking Antiquities of Great Britain and Ireland, with A. Bjørn (1940)
- Foreningen til norske fortidsminnesmerkers bevaring 1844–1944 (1944)
- Norske museers historie (1944)
- Vikingeskipene: Deres Forgjengere Og Etterfolgere, with Anton Wilhelm Brøgger (1950)
Other sources
- Hovland, Kari Shetelig (1995) Haakon Shetelig: Arkeologen og mennesket (Alma mater) ISBN 978-8241901669
- Hartvedt, Gunnar Hagen (1994) Bergen Byleksikon (Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget) ISBN 8257304859.